A recent report by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) has revealed that Elon Musk‘s X platform is failing to counter false claims about the US election. The report analyzed 283 misleading X posts and found that 74% of them did not display accurate notes to all users correcting false and misleading claims about the elections. These posts, which did not show available Community Notes to all users, have amassed an staggering 2.2 billion views.
The misinformation on X’s platform is particularly concerning given that the platform has been under scrutiny for years over the spread of conspiracy theories and false information, including about elections and vaccines. Furthermore, several governments have raised concerns over content on X’s platform, including Australia, the United Kingdom, and Brazil, which has even banned the platform for a period earlier this year.
The report’s findings are particularly disturbing given that X launched its “Community Notes” feature last year, which allows users to comment on posts to flag false or misleading content, crowd-sourcing fact-checking to users rather than a dedicated team of fact-checkers. However, it appears that this feature is not effectively countering the spread of misinformation on the platform.
Elon Musk appears at an event (Via Randy Simmon/Shutterstock)
The report’s author, the Centre for Countering Digital Hate, has been critical of X’s efforts to address the problem of misinformation on its platform. The organization has previously sued X, faulting the social media platform for allowing a rise in hate speech on the platform. In August, secretaries of state from five US states even urged Elon Musk to fix X’s AI chatbot, saying it had spread misinformation related to the November 5th election.
Elon Musk, who has himself been a vocal supporter of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, has been spreading false claims about the US election, including debunked allegations involving undocumented migrants being allowed to vote. Mr. Musk’s endorsements and misinformation efforts are particularly concerning given that he has become one of Mr. Trump’s most vocal and largest financial supporters.
The report’s findings are a sobering reminder of the urgent need for action to address the spread of misinformation on social media platforms. The fact that X, a platform with hundreds of millions of users, is failing to effectively counter false claims about a major election is disturbing. As the 2024 US presidential election approaches, it is crucial that social media platforms take concrete steps to address the spread of misinformation and ensure that users have access to accurate and reliable information.
